System for mining



June 21,1927.

I J. w. PEARCE.

SYSTEM FOR MINING Filed Dec. 6, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lpiinesi' ilerber? Buelfl" J 1927- J. w. PEARCE SYSTEM FOR MINING Filed Dec. 6, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Izflerziof B Jamesrglflaarce Q5... 9. y m? A "Xv laz'iitess /erber? Baehler Patented June 21, 1927.

- UNITED STATES.

1,632,800 PATENT o-rrlcejy JAMES w. PEARCE, or omcneo, IL moIs, Assmnon roeoonivrnn rmnnriicrnnine' COMPANY, or orrrcrxeqrnmnors, A oonronnr on or ILLiNOiS.

SYSTEM non MINING.

Application filed December This invention relates togimprovements in systems for mining, and more particularly to systems where draft, operated scraper loaders are usedto gather the material rom predetermined areas in the mine but leaving certain portions of the'material 1S supports for the mine roof.

My invention is particularly adapted for use in coal mines where it is desirous to leave pillars or supports at various intervals while the coal is being mined;

Among the objects oit'iny invention is the provision of a system whereby scraper loat ers are advantageously used. in gathering loose material as it is dislodged along cer tain working faces, and transported for loading upon mine cars. i

More specifically the object isto provide a working plan or system wherein the material is worked out along relatively long working faces so as to require a minimum number of changes in the. position of. the scraper loading apparatus including the draft rope. anchors and power devices as well as the loadingchutes or platforms adjacent theinine cars where final loadingfis accomplished. l

Scraper leaders have heretofore been used more or less extensively as a meansof gath ering or transporting loose material from the working faces of the mine to be loaded on mine cars. One of the prerequisites of successful operation of the scraper loaders, especially where it is desired to leave pillars at certain intervals, is the provision of a sys tem wherein a maximum area can be gath ered and loaded with a single setting of the. loading apparatus. In scraper'loader sys tems of the class herein referred to, the scraper is of any desired form capable of gathering loose material and is operated by draft ropes trained over guides or sheaves anchored in proper positions, the draft ropes being operated by va winding engine or hoist in position to -move the scraper reciprocably between the working face andthe' loading station at'an entry where the mine cars are loaded. One of the most efficient and satisfactory methods heretofore employed in connection with s'crap'erloaders is the so-calledpanel system i of mining in which cross entries substantially" at right anglesto each other are .driven in: the material to be minedso as to form sub-- stantially rectangular blocks. Tracks are 6; 1924. Serial No. 754,261?

laidnlong certain of the entries jandcross entries and the scraper loader apparatus is positioned at such, loading track to loadout.

material through an entry at right angles to said loading track, the working face extend: mgv along one or more blocks'and being progressed laterally in a line substantially par-- allel with the loading entryr In systems of this kind, however, it is necessary to change the position of the loading chute and the hoist quite often as the loading operation proceeds in each entry. It is also more'or; less diiiicult to provide for pillars spaced the requiredldistance apart,'i t being understood that the blocks are usually in elongated form,

and the. pillar whichwould be left along the center of such a block is unnecessarily' lon thus resulting in axloss of material which might otherwise. be obtai ned.- As will be seen from the following descriptionmy improved system contemplates a' modified ,forrn" or more pillars of pyramidal or inverted V form, thus making the pillars relatively shorter but wider'than would be possible in case the pillar was narrow and rectangular in shape, as inthe ordinary panel system of mining already described. My invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: I

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a section of a coal mine being-worked in accord; ance with the system forming the subject, matter of my invention; 7 I 1 Figure 2 is a detailed view of the initial operation in opening up .a' section of the mine;-

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2but in which the-imining operation has pro gressed through certain stages of operation.

Figure Qillustrates the initial operation in carrying out my system. Cross entries 10, 10 and ll, 11 have been driven substan tially at right angles to each other-to form blocks 12,12. In the form shown, these blocks are preferably'elongated in the, direction ofmovem'ent of the scraper. Gertain of the cross entries, as forjinstance 11,

i and 12, are haulage entries, being provided with tracks 13, 13 for coal cars 14, 14.. The scraper is indicated at 15'having headrope 16 and a tail rope 17 operatively connected to the windingengine 18. a The scraper and winding engine are of the usual form and need not be described in detail. The tail rope 17 is trained over sheaves 19 and 20 anchored in the end cross entry 10, the sheave 19 being at the juncture of the cross entries 10 and 11 in which the loading operation is to proceed.

I Thesecond sheave 20 is positioned to one a ireached a point substantially midwaygof a side ofthe entry as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2 in which'position the scraper is adapted to pass along the extreme upper corner of the adjacent top block 12. The mining of the blockis then. started along. a working face324 substantially parallel with the path-of movement of the scraper as it movesaround the extreme corner of the block. As each cut is made along the working face, the scraper is usedto gather the coal and transport itito the loading chute adjacent the haulage entry 12 for loada ing in the mine cars 14. a As the mining operation proceeds theworking face 24 Will manifestly be rapidly extended to the position indicatedin full lines byqthe working face 25 in which the entire length of the block is being worked. a As the working face is advanced, of. course, the corner sheave 20 is moved outwardly to maintain the scraper in itsdesired loading relationship with respect to the face. When the mining has block, the sheave20 may be changed to the opposite side of the loading entry 11, so as to load out a similar-portion of the. right handblock as shown in Figure 2, thus making a substantially V shaped area. If it is desired to leave two pillarsin one of the blocks, as for instance in the left hand block 12, the sheaves 19 and 20 are shifted toward the haulage entry in the position shown in.

Figure 3, and the loadin out proceeds upon a new working face 26 ormed in staggered relation as clearly shown in the left; hand panel in the latter figure. In lthiscase,

however, a slice is also taken off along a new working face 27 in the second. panel below the ppper block 12. i The right hand panel in" igure 3, as shown herein, is formed in a large pillar extending the full length of the block which may be desirable The cleared area will extend to the right hand sides of the areas 30, 31, and 32 which are leftv to form triangular pillars at the righthand Sid of. the initial loading area and the areas 34and 35 which will form rec'- tangular pillars at the left hand side of the area: V

It will be understood, however, that it is desirable to. limit the progressive movement of the sheaves 19 and 20 toward the'loading chute so that the path of movement of the scraper does not take too great an angle in. its approachto the loading chute. Conse quently, the operations shown inzFigure 3; are preferably discontinued when the working faces extend along the lines. indicated at 27" and 29*. When this stage is reached, further loading operations from this block are continued by moving the loading apparatus to a more remote or retractedposition along the same loading entry 11, as willbe B ll better understood byreference to Figure .1, a 7

showing the operation of the system as' applied to a larger area of the mine and in which the operations have proceeded to a further. degree; In ,this View; an additional tier of blocks above those illustrated inFigures 2 and3 are being workedout from the haulage entry 12% It will be seen that the first loading entry .11 has been completely worked out down to the inclined" working faces 27 and 29 in the lowermost tier of blocks, while similar operations have been carried out in the second loading entry 11 so as to leavesimilar pyramidal pillars30, 31*,30 and 31, and a larger pillar 32, the latter pillar being in the bottom tier] :The: scraper apparatus is shown in theithird loading entry in which work has progressed to completely form small pillars int-he upper 'tier and. partially form the small pillar-sin From the various the second tier of blocks. diagrams and descrlptions ust preceding,

it will be manifest that my system may be 7 applied to a varying number, of blocks, a depending upon. working conditions, in each case leaving pillars at any desired distance apart.

shown in full lines in Figure 1, andydesig 'nated by numeral-32, material may beremoved from this pillar so as to form two smallerpillars 32 and 33 indicated in dotted lines, when the, scrapers, apparatus is moved to a lower tier' ofpanels and the loading three tiers belowthat shown in the drawmgs, -7 I With my improved system the line, of movement of the scraper may be maintained in substantially straight lines between the moving chute and the movableflguide 20; thus eliminating the necessity of changing the course. of movement of the scraper; to any great degree. This is a distinct advantagev It will be' further understood that in the case of the larger pillars such as done at a more remote point, say two or in the operation of scrapers of this character in View of the manifest difficulty of providing satisfactory means for turning or changing the forward course of movement of the scraper, My system furthermore af fords considerable variation in the manner in which it may be carried out either in the shape of the blocks, the number of blocks to be Worked at one time, or the shape or/and size of the pillars which may manifestly be varied widely, depending upon the working conditions. The development of my improved system is such that it is unnecessary to clean out material from corners, as in room and pillar methods.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of mining which consists in V initially drivinga pluralit of substantially shaped form along the central portions of each of the blocks.

2. The method of mining which consists in initially driving a plurality of substantially arallel and intersecting cross entries to form rectangular blocks, removing the material from tl e blocks by scraper loading devices extending along working faces formed in adjacent parallel working entries and loading in transportation entries intersecting said working entries, removing the material along predetermined staggered working faces on opposite sides of each working entry, loading at one point from a plurality of tiers of blocks, and connecting the Working operations in adjacent working entries to leave pillars of pyramidal or inverted V shaped form along the central portions of each of the blocks.

3. The method of mining which consists in initially driving a plurality of substantially parallel and intersecting cross entries to form rectangular blocks, removing the material from the blocks by scraper loading devices extending along working faces formed in adjacent parallel working entries and loading in transportation entries inter secting said working entries, the rope guide devices of the scraper loader being initially nearer the point of loading and removing a further section of working face on lines substantially parallel to the initial inclined working faces on either side of the entry whereby the resultant wall on opposite sides of a working entry is left in staggered form with alternate peaks and depressions, and thereafter completing similar operations in the next adjacent wcrking entry to form a plurality of pillars in pyramidal or inverted V shaped form remaining along the central portions of each of the bloc rs. V

i. The method ofmining which consists in initially driving a plurality of substantially parallel and intersecting cross entries to form rectangular locks, removing the material from plurality of tiers of blocks by loading in transportation entries intersecting said working entries, the rope guide devices of the scraper loader being initially placed to remove the material along the working faces inclined outwardly from the working entry, with the widest portion thereof at a point farthest removed from the point of loading, until a predetermined amount of material has been removed, and thereafter shifting the rope guides to a point nearer the point of loading and removing a further section of working face on lines substantially parallel to the initial inclined working faces on either side of the entry whereby the resultant wall on opposite sides of a working entry is leftin staggered form with alternate peaks and depressions, and thereafter completing similar operations in the next adjacent working entry to form a plurality of pillars in pyramidal or inverted y a shaped form remaining along the central JAMES W. PEARCE. 

